Pecan sheller



Nov. 27, 1962 P. HARRIS 3,065,778

PECAN SHELLER Filed July 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P/es L. Harris IN VEN TOR.

BY @Mazflh Mam Nov. 27, 1962 P. HARRIS 3,065,778

' PECAN SHELLER Filed July 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4

. Pies L. Harris INVENTOR.

United States Patent Othce Bfihhfl'id Patented Nov. 27, 1982 spasms PECAN SHELLER Pies L. Harris, 251 W. 29th ESL, San Angelo, Tex. Filed .luly 17, rear, Ser. No. 124,554 3 Qlaims. (Cl. 146-16) This invention relates to a novel and useful pecan sheller and more specifically to a device including a pair of jaw members mounted for movement toward and away from each other and specifically adapted to engage a pecan nut therebetween and the crack the nut while at the same time cutting the opposite ends of the shell away from the rest of the nut.

The pecan sheller of the instant invention includes a base from which an upright standard projects and the upright standard is provided with first and second laterally directed arms with the first arm projecting from a midportion of the standard and the second arm projecting from the upper end of the standard. The first and second arms oppose each other and one jaw member is mounted on the free end of the first arm. The second armincludes a vertically extending journal portion and the other jaw is provided with a mounting shank. The mounting shank is slidably disposed in the journal portion of the second arm for longitudinal reciprocal movement toward and away from the first jaw member carried by the first arm whereby the second or upper jaw member, which is inverted relative to the first jaw member, is mounted for movement toward and away from the lower jaw member. The mounting shank for the second jaw member includes rack gear teeth and a gear wheel is rotatably supported by the upper arm and is meshed with the rack gear teeth carried by the shank. A lever arm is secured to the gear wheel and extends generally radially of its axis of rotation and may be grasped and swung through an arc in order to effect movement of the upper jaw member toward and away from the lower jaw memher.

The opposing jaw members are provided with shell cracking ribs which are adapted to engage opposite sides of a pecan shell disposed and frictionally gripped between the jaw members. The cracking ribs are designed to crack the pecan shell disposed therebetween without shattering the shell and each of the jaw members also includes a pair of spaced cutter blades. The cutter blades of each jaw member project away from the jaw membet to which they are secured and toward the opposing jaw member. The pairs of cutter blades oppose each other and the adjacent ends of corresponding blades are disposed more closely adjacent each other than the cracking ribs carried by the jaws. In this manner, the cutter blades may engage the curved ends of a pecan nut at substantially the same time the cracking ribs engage opposite sides of the pecan nut upon movement of the upper jaw member toward the lower jaw member. .T hen, upon further movement of the upper jaw member toward the lower jaw member the shell of the pecan nut will be cracked by the cracking ribs and the opposite ends of the shell of the pecan nut will be snipped oh by means of the cutter blades.

The cutter blades of each jaw member are mounted thereon for movement toward and away from each other relative to the jaw member whereby the spatial relationship of the cutter blades carried by each jaw member may be adjusted as desired in order that the pecan sheller may be adjusted for pecan shells of various sizes. It is of course to be understood that the pecan shells to be cracked will be graded somewhat according to size in order that a number of shells may be effectively cracked before the spatial relationship of the cutter blades of each jaw are adjusted in order to adapt the pecan sheller for the next size of pecan shells to be cracked.

The main object of this invention is to provide a pecan sheller which will be capable of neatly and efiiciently cracking pecan shells while at the same time snipping the opposite ends of the pecan shell from the rest of the shell in order that the meat within the shell may be extracted from the cracked portions thereof with minimum breakage of the meat.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a pecan sheller which may be readily adjusted to conform the pecan shells of various sizes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a pecan sheller which is portable and is well suited for home use and does not require any particular skill to operate.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a pecan sheller in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to operate so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in op-- eration.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FEGURE l is a perspective view of the pecan sheller;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view showing the manner in which the upper jaw is mounted for movement toward and away from the lower J FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the jaw members in position to crack a pecan nut disposed therebetween;

FiGURE 4- is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan .view of the stationary jaw; and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of both jaw members.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing the numeral 19 generally designates the pecan shell of the instant invention. The pecan sheller it? includes a base generally referred to by the reference numeral 12 which has an upright standard generally referred to by the reference numeral 14 projecting upwardly therefrom. The standard 14 is triangular in cross section and is provided with a first laterally projecting support arm generally referred to by the reference numeral 16 which projects laterally to one side of the standard 14 and over the base 12. The free end of the support arm 16 terminates in a laterally directed upturned end portion iii.

A second laterally projecting support arm generally referred to by the reference numeral 20 is carried by the upper end of the standard 14 and generally parallels and opposes the lower support arm 16. The free end of the upper support arm 24 is provided with a vertical bore 22 comprising a journal portion and also with a transverse bore 24 which communicates with the bore 22.

A first or lower jaw member generally referred to by the reference numeral 26 is generally parallelepiped in configuration and includes a downwardly opening blind bore 28 in which the upturned end portion 18 of the lower support arm 16 is received. The jaw member 26 may be secured to the end portion 18 in any convenient manner.

The second or upper jaw member is generally referred to by the reference numeral 3% and is substantially identical to the jaw member 26 with the exception being that its blind bore 32 is threaded.

A support shank generally referred to by the reference numeral 34- has a threaded end portion 36 on one end threadedly engaged in the blind bore 32 and is provided with a plurality of rack gear teeth 38 along its length. The shank 34 is received within the bore 22 for longitudinal reciprocation therein and an operating shaft 40 having a gear wheel 42 secured to a diametrically reduced mid-portion 43 is rotatably journalled in the bore 24 with the gear wheel 42 meshed with the rack teeth 38. One end of the operating shaft 40 has a lever arm 44 secured thereto. Accordingly, upon swinging movement of the free end of the lever arm 44 about the axis of rotation of the operating shaft 40 of the second or upper jaw member 39 may be moved toward and away from the first or lower and stationary jaw member 26.

With attention now directed to FIGURE 6 of the drawings it will be noted that each of the jaw members 26 and 30 is elongated and is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 46. The groves 46 open toward each other and each defines a pair of opposite side longitudinally extending abutment shoulders 48 and 56 which are adapted to provide limit stops for movement of the jaw member 30 toward the jaw member 26.

Each of the jaw members 26 and 30 includes a pair of transversely extending cracking ribs 52 and 54 which extend between the corresponding shoulders 48 and 50 and extend longitudinally of the jaw member. The transverse cracking ribs 52 and 54 are each interconnected on each jaw member 26 and 30 by means of a longitudinally extending cracking rib 56 which extends between and beyond the corresponding transverse cracking ribs 52 and 54.

Each of the jaw members 26 and 30 includes a pair of blind bores 53 which open through the notch or groove 46 and a pair of cutter blades generally referred to by the reference numerals 60 and 62. Each of the cutter blades 60 and 62 includes a base portion 64 and a right angulated and upstanding blade portion 66.

Each of the base portions 64 is provided with an elongated slot 68 and each base portion is received between the corresponding pair of shoulders 48 and 50 and overlies one of the bores 58. The base portions 64 are each secured to the corresponding jaw by means of a headed fastener 70 whose threaded shank portion 72 is inserted through the corresponding slot 68 and threadedly engaged in the corresponding bore 58.

The upper end of each blade portion 66 is provided with a plurality of teeth 74 which project toward the opposing jaw member and it will be noted from FIGURE 4 of the drawings that corresponding blade portions 66 are disposed in parallel planes for shearing action on a pecan shell 76 disposed between the jaws 26 and 30.

The teeth 74 of each blade portion 66 are disposed in an are which opens toward the corresponding blade portion carried by the opposing jaw member and accordingly it will be noted that the blade portions 66 cradle and assist in properly positioning the nut shell. 76 between the opposing jaws 26 and 30.

It will be noted that the base portions 64 may be adjusted longitudinally of the corresponding jaw in order to adapt the jaw to handle a nut of a given size. Further, it is to be noted that the blade portions 66 are positioned longitudinally of the corresponding jaw in a manner to determine a spatial relationship between the. pair of blade portions 66 carried by that jaw member in order that a nut 76 disposed between the confronting jaws 26 and 34 may be simultaneously engaged by the cracking ribs 52, 54 and 56 and the blade portions 66 of the cutter blades 60.

It will be noted that the base, standard and jaws may be constructed of any convenient material such an aluminum and that the cutter blades 66 will be constructed of a good grade of steel in order that the blade portions 66 thereof may retain their cutting edges. However, any suitable materials may be used in the construction of the component parts of the pecan sheller 1%.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A pecan sheller comprising a base, a standard secured at its lower end to said base, a first support arm projecting laterally outwardly from a mid-portion of said standard, a pair of of jaws, one of said jaws supported from the face end of said support arm and facing upwardly, a second support arm carried by the upper end of said standard opposing said first arm, means mounting the other of said jaws from the free end of the second arm for rectilinear movement toward and away from said one jaw and including means for moving said other jaw toward and away from said one jaw, said jaws including pairs of opposing cutter blades with each jaw having a pair of spaced blades, corresponding blades of the blades on said jaws opposing each other and extending laterally outwardly from the corresponding jaw toward the other jaw, said corresponding blades being adapted to clip off the opposite ends of the shell of a nut disposed between said jaws, said jaws each also including raised cracking ribs adapted to engage opposite sides of a shell and disposed between the corresponding pairs of blades, said cracking ribs on each jaw including two spaced and generally parallel ribs and a third rib extending between the midportions of said two ribs and projecting therebeyond, means mounting said blades on said jaws for adjusted movement of the blades on each jaw toward and away from each jaw, said jaws each including a pair of raised transversely spaced and elongated shoulders projecting toward the other jaw embracing and extending between and beyond the corresponding blades.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said third ribs each extend along a plane extending between the blades of the associated jaw.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means mounting said other jaw comprises an upright support shank carried by said other jaw, a journal portion on the free end of said. other arm, said shank being received in said journal portion of longitudinal movement toward and away from said one jaw, said shank includes rack gear teeth, said moving means comprising a gear wheel rota ably supported on said standard and meshed with rack gear teeth formed on said support shank, and a lever arm connected to said gear wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,762,573 De Golyer June 10, 1930 2,218,607 Gantz Oct. 22, 1940 2,506,970 Paul May 9, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 248,062 Germany June 13, 1912 

